Onkelos the Proselyte

Onkelos is a translator araméen of the Hebraic Bible at 2nd century EC. Proselyte, i.e. converted with the Judaism, raises Tannaim Rabbi Yehoshoua and Rabbi Eliezer, both larger Sages of this time. Its translation, the Targoum Onkelos made up in Ground of Israel, quickly became the standard used in the Babylonian Synagog S during the era of development and drafting of the Talmud. It is printed in margin of the text in almost all the modern standard editions. Rachi, Maïmonide, and well of others, considers this translation essential to the interpretation, because it reflects comprehension particularly well that the Wise ones had Writings at the time of Onkelos.

Onkelos in Talmud

Onkelos is mentioned in several places of the Talmud. According to the traditional Jewish sources, it was wire of Clinicus, wire of the sister of the emperor Titus. The Aggada relative to its conversion (Guittin 56b) tells us that Onkelos consulted the spirits of three late enemies of Israel to know how the Enfants of Israel went in the world to come.

the first was his/her uncle, Titus, person in charge of the destruction of the Second Temple
the second was Balaam, prophet engaged by Balak, king de Moab, to curse Israel
the last was Yeshou. Some include/understand Jesus of Nazareth, but it seems more probable than it acts of name generic to indicate all those which seek to divert Jews of their faith, since he is also carried by a disciple of Rabbi Yehoshoua Ben Pera' hya, which lived at the time of the Hasmonéens and by the infamous son of the king Ézéchias, the king Manassé de Juda.

Onkelos saw them, us says Talmud, in prey with humiliating punishments to have fault towards Israel sempiternal, stopping only the time of the Shabbat. All three encouraged it to convert.

The Talmud of Jerusalem, written before the Talmud of Babylon, brings back this same aggada to us, but the subject is Aquila and not Onkelos.
Aquila was another proselyte who had translated the Bible into Greek. The similarity of their names and their accomplissments made so that the history of these two men was entirely confused.

This aggada is not either without presenting similarities with that of the accessible centurion Jesus by the words " Lord, I am not worthy etc."

After its conversion, Talmud tells us that Onkelos must face threats of arrest of Imperator of Rome (Avoda Zarah 11a).
L' Empereur sends a Roman Légion, but Onkelos, quoting verses of the Tanakh leads them to convert.
With the second legion, Onkelos compares the way by which God personally guides His people (as reported in the Livre of the Numbers) with the social hierarchy in progress in the Roman Empire. The second legion also converts
With the third legion, Onkelos compares its Mezuza, symbol of God keeping the house of all Juif, contrasting with the Emperor that its being useful keep. The third legion converts, and the Emperor prefers not to dismantle his army more.

Critical

Many modern scholars dispute the paternity of the text with Onkelos, thinking that it was allotted to him in the top Moyen-âge on the basis of confusion with one (other) translation of Onkelos the Proselyte mentioned in the Talmud. Nevertheless these same criticisms could not propose alternative authority with the Targoum .

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